Modi-Xi meet for an hour; hold wide ranging talks

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met today on the sidelines of the BRICS summit and held discussions on a wide variety of topics. This is the first time that the two leaders are meeting after the Doklam standoff that lasted for several weeks. The Modi-Xi meeting held today lasted for around an hour and various issues were discussed. According to foreign secretary S Jaishankar, both sides have agreed that a situation like Doklam dispute should be avoided in future. Both countries agreed to improve communication between defense personnel in order to prevent Doklam-like situations in the future.

The Modi-Xi meeting was also about improving ties between the two countries so that economics of both countries can benefit. The meeting was forward-looking and both sides agreed that they won’t let differences turn into disputes. An effort will be made henceforth by both countries to ensure that India-China relations are viewed as a factor of civility. The only thing that seems to be missing from today’s Modi-Xi meeting is the issue of terrorism. However, the topic of terrorism was already discussed yesterday by all BRICS countries, so there was no need to repeat it. Speaking about the topic of terrorism being discussed at BRICS Summit, Jaishankar said that most countries strongly oppose terrorism and the joint declaration signed by BRICS countries shows their common commitments.